Stirring it Up Again

After a week of eating out, Will and I definitely want to eat a little healthier tonight. When we want a healthy meal, we like to stick with vegetables. So we usually turn to this…

Recipe of the Day: Vegetable Stir Fry with Rice Noodles

Ingredients/Grocery List: Total Spent: £8.19 (Serves 3-4 people)

2 package of Rice Noodles – £2.60
3 Peppers (Assorted Colors) – 3 for £2.00
1 Bundle of Chinese Lettuce – £1.18
1 Large Onion - £ 0.15
1 Package of Mushrooms – £0.86
1 Package of Bean Spouts – £0.60
Small portion of Ginger Root - . £0.80
2 cloves of Garlic (peeled)
Thai Sweet Chili Sauce
Soy Sauce
Hot Sauce
Sesame Oil

Heat a Wok on Medium . Pour a generous amount of sesame oil to cover the bottom of the Wok. Throw in the chopped Ginger and garlic. Cook for a minute. Slowly add the sliced onions. Be careful, hot oil might burst up. Cook for 1 minute. Add thinly sliced peppers and cook for 5 minutes. Now add the sliced mushrooms and beanspouts. Cook for about 2 minutes. Lastly add the chopped Chinese lettuce and cook for 2 additional minutes. For flavor, add the Soy Sauce and Thai Sweet Chili Sauce. Like I 've said in previous posts, I don’t really measure, so just season to taste. Now add the rice noodle and cook for 3 more minutes. Dinner is Done. I like to add Hot Sauce to my meal after it's on the plate just to spice it up a bit!
I really like this meal for those times I want to eat something healthy without meat. My husband loves stir fry, so I catch myself making a variation of this dish at least twice a month. We made a lot tonight so he can have leftovers for lunch tomorrow. Overall, I’m pretty happy with my challenge today. Not bad since I’ve been out of commission in our kitchen for a week!

Bank Holiday/Memorial Day Weekend

Wow it’s been about a week since I last update my blog. Sorry, things has been chaotic! Well after posting the last blog, unfortunately, I did not get to do any cooking challenges. Tuesday night, I was rushing all around and prepping for my interview and the arrival of my sister Carrie and my nephew Marcus for a visit. I ate out everyday for a week and man do I feel a few pounds heavier. By the way HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY! Enjoy the sunny day and BBQs??? It’s quite gloomy here in London and it’s 54 degrees outside. I'm missing the States, but having my sister Carrie and her family here, helped out a lot. Since she has visited London before, she didn’t have any desire to do any of the tourist things. So I decided to show her around my neighborhood and of course took her shopping. It was just her and her son Marcus for a couple of days. Her husband had a business trip and joined us on Friday. There was also a bank holiday going on in the UK today which made for a long weekend. Instead of mooping around wishing we were in the sun and barbequing, we all decided to get away to see Stonehenge, Bath and Cardiff. We rented a car and drove to see the countryside of the UK. It was nice to see so much beautiful, open land. I will say that the one thing I love about London as oppose to New York City, is the fact everything is spread out so you do get to see the horizon and don't have skyscrappers blocking your view of the sky all the time. Anyways, our first stop was Stonehenge, which is an interesting monument. It’s just one of those things you have to go and see. Bath, is a nice, quaint euorpean city. Due to the traffic, we were late getting to Bath, the famous roman baths were closed. Even though a lot of things were closing, we still enjoyed walking around the city. The layout of the city was very cute and really felt more like how I imagine a little Tuscan village, than a British city. Will and I are planning to come back here for a romantic getaway. We then headed out to Cardiff and stayed there overnight. When we woke up, we headed straight to the Cardiff Castle. We all had a good time walking around and exploring the castle. It was very interesting and less commercialized than other castles in Europe, which we all liked. Although I wasn’t barbequing or laying out on the beach, I still had a fantastic Memorial Day Weekend in the UK. It was a lot of fun having my nephew in London. He's the cutest and I miss him already. My sister and her family left early this morning. :( Guess I'm back to my challenges...

Flamed Honey Mustard Chicken

Today was a very busy day for me. I've been cleaning and organizing the apartment for the arrival of my sister and my nephew all day. I’m super excited for them to come and visit us. So today's challenge had to be a quick one. I went to the grocery store thinking I was going to make honey dijon mustard chicken with roasted asparagus and mash potatoes, but out of nowhere my husband decided he wanted to make dinner tonight! So tonight’s challenge goes out to my husband Will.

Recipe of the Day: Flamed Honey Mustard Chicken with Roasted Asparagus and Baked Potatoes

Ingredients/Grocery List: £7.36

2 Breast of Chicken £2.00
Bundle of Asparagus £1.49
1 ½ Tablespoon of Whole grain Dijon Mustard £0.59
½ Tablesponof French Dijon Mustard £0.59
1 tablespoon of Franks Hot Sauce (had it already)
3 Tablespoon of Balsamic Salad Dressing (had it already)
3 Tablespoon Honey £1.99
2 Tablespoon of Ketchup (had it already)
2 Baking Potatoes (package came in 4) £0.70
Olive Oil
Salt
Pepper
Shredded Cheddar Cheese (optional for potatoes) (had it already)

First, prep the baked potatoes. Potatoes always take really long to cook so you have to start them early. Will began by rubbing butter all over the potatoes and dash it with salt and pepper. Then he wrapped each potato with foil. Place them in the oven for 200C for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Now for the chicken: In a bowl, mix the French Dijon Mustard, Wholegrain Dijon Mustard, Honey, Ketchup, Salad Dressing and Frank’s hot sauce. After washing and cutting the fat from the chicken breast, place them in a big ziplock bag. Place the sauce mixture in the ziplock with the chicken and place it in the fridge. Marinate for about 2 hours. Place a tablespoon of olive oil into a skillet and begin to heat. Cook the chicken in the skillet on medium heat for about 10-15 minutes. For the roasted asparagus, wash and cut the end off the asparagus. Thinly coat the asparagus with olive oil, dash fresh ground pepper and salt. Add 1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar all over the asparagus. (To make sure it's an even mix, you can put all the ingredients in a ziplock bag and shake it all up) Place the asparagus on a baking sheet and cook in the oven at 200 C for 25 minutes. Turn the asparagus over after the first 12 minutes of cooking in the oven. Dinner is done.




The meal was delicious. It was a pleasure to have Will cook for me today. He really enjoys cooking and it was a really nice change for me to watch him cook dinner. Will - you get two thumbs up from me! I am really excited to cook tomorrow, it feels like it’s been forever since I cooked. I am not going to lie, I definitely enjoy the break. :)

Brighton Weekend

Sorry for the lack of posts and cooking challenges the past two days. My husband and I went on a nice relaxing trip to Brighton for the weekend.(This trip was one of the presents he got me for my birthday.) The sun was shining brightly when our train pulled out of London Bridge Station on Friday afternoon. I guess that was a good sign because the weather couldn’t have been more perfect for our entire trip. We had an amazing time!

Once we arrived to our hotel - My Hotel (a trendy boutique hotel) , we went straight to our room and relaxed. We stayed at this hotel last year and we just love it. The whole décor is so warming and relaxing. As they put it on their brochure, it's style is "Where Freddie Mercury meets the Marharishi". We got ready and had to make a early dinner reservation at Terre a Terre. This restaurant was highly recommended by Will’s boss since he lives in the area of Brighton. When Will told me it was a vegan restaurant, I was hesitant since I’m a huge meat eater. So we got ready quickly and made our 7:15pm reservation with time to spare. The food was absolutely amazing. We had a number dishes but my favorite was a vegan style fish and chips with haloumi substituting the fish. We really enjoyed our first vegan restaurant together. After dinner we got drinks at this sushi lounge cocktail bar and then headed to our oh so trendy bar at our hotel. The lounge/bar at our hotel is definitely a “hot” spot in Brighton. They make really good specialty cocktails and the bartenders are super friendly.




On Saturday, the weather was still nice and warm. We decided to walk around the town. The town is so cute and quaint. The streets are full of unique stores and boutiques. After walking around for few hours we stopped by a seafood restaurant called Riddle and Finns. This restaurant was also recommended by Will’s boss. Man, we’re lucky that he recommended this place for us. It was simply delicious and it was by far one of our favorite restaurants in the UK. (we eat out a lot too!) After a nice lunch, we decided to relax on the beach. This beach in the UK, is not like the beaches in the States. At the beach there is no sand, just rocks, which can be a bit tough to lay on. I really do miss the beaches back in the States. There were, however, plenty of people wearing their bathing suits. I couldn’t believe it! Granted it was a nice day on Saturday, but the weather was still only 70 degrees. I guess, this is their Summer! (I was wearing a light ¾ sleeve top with black long leggings and I felt chilly by the water.) After the beach, we got ready and went to dinner at a latin restaurant across from our hotel called Las Iguanas. The food was really good. Nothing to hyperventilate about, but it was pretty decent. We enjoyed our meals. After dinner, we hit the casinos, won some £££'s and then called it a night. It was a very fun and relaxing Saturday night together.



Today, we woke up early and hit the beach. It was really nice and hot today. Lots of people swimming and laying out in the sun. After an hour of catching the sun we decided to head back to London. London was actually even hotter! It was 79 degrees which really means 90 degree weather since there isn’t a lot of wind here. I quickly changed into my sundress. I was so happy since I brought all of my cute summer clothes out here and thought I would never wear any of them in gloomy London. It was a fantastic Sunday. I really hope this weather stays like this for the rest of the week.

As for dinner, we are having leftovers since I made an abundant amount of Mac and Cheese on Thursday night. Will’s making a quick roasted veggie Italian salad to go with it while I take it easy. :) What can I say, he's the best! After a weekend off from the £10 Challenge, I'm ready to get back in the game tomorrow.

Mac and Cheese Please

Today was a very productive day for me. Woke up nice and early and did most of my errands. I even had a phone interview and landed a face-to-face interview for next Wednesday. I’m super excited! It’s been awhile since I went on a interview, and it feels great to be getting back at it. Later in the evening, Will and I met up with one of my friends from back home. We went to high school together and even college and now live in the same city again! What’s the chances of that? Small world. It’s always nice to hang out with her and it's great to have a piece of Long Island out here with me in London. I picked up Will from work and we brought my friend to a beer garden near we lived named The Eagle between Old Street and Angel. It is a classic English Pub, complete with a beer garden and an open pit BBQ. The food looked delicious but I’m going to have to try it another day. Since I did not cook yesterday, I really wanted to cook and get back to my challenge. I asked my friend if she would like to join us for dinner and she kindly responded yes. Yey! I have a helper.... haha. It’s always nice to have a helper in the kitchen. Today’s challenge was…..


Recipe of the day: Roasted Tomatoes and Shaved Parmesan with Rocket Salad and Mac and Cheese


Ingredients/Grocery List: Total Spent : £13.64 (I failed to stay sub-£10 but to be fair I made enough to feed 4-5 people!)
1lb of Chifferi Rigati (ribbed Macaroni )£1.49
Dash of Salt (had it already
Drop of Olive Oil (had it already)
5 Tablespoon of Unsalted Butter (had it already)
4 cups of Milk £0.86
6 Tablespoon of Flour £0.93
1 ½ teaspoon of Mustard Powder £0.90
¼ teaspoon Cayenne pepper
1 Cup of Shredded Monterey Jack Cheese £1.28
2 Cup of Mature Cheddar (extra sharp Cheddar) £1.69
1 Cup of Leicester Cheese £2.00
2 Cups of Breadcrumbs (had it already)
Olive Oil Spray (had it already)
Grated Parmesan Cheese (had it already)

Salad:
1 Package of Cherry Tomatoes £1.19
1 Package of Rocket Salad £1.50
1 Package of Shaved Parmesan Cheese £1.80
Olive Oil (had it already)
Italian Herb (had it already)
Oregano (had it already)
Fresh Ground Pepper (had it already)

First, boil the Pasta (see instructions on packet). Make sure you add a few dashes of salt and a dollop of olive oil to the water. Preheat the oven to broil. In a baking sheet, spread the breadcrumbs and spray olive oil all over. Place them in the oven for 5 minutes or until golden brown. (You can always add butter to the breadcrumbs in a saucepan on the stove to make then nice and golden. )In a Medium Saucepan, add the butter until it melts and becomes bubbly. Now add the Flour, Mustard Power and Cayenne Pepper. Whisk it all together. Next, start adding the Milk, one cup at a time and whisking it continuously faster as you pour the last cup. At this point, you should begin adding the Monterey Jack, Mature Cheddar and Leicester Cheese. As you add each cheese, keep whisking. Cook the cheesy mixture for 3 minutes. When the pasta is done, drain and put it back to the pot. Add the cheese sauce and stir it all together. Place on a baking dish. While all that was happening, I marinated my tomatoes. Place a bunch of Cherry tomatoes in a bowl and add olive oil (enough to coat all over). Then I add a couple of Dashes of Fresh Ground Pepper, Oregano and Italian herb seasoning. Place the cherry tomatoes on a baking sheet. Now add the breadcrumbs on top of the mac and cheese dish. Lastly, sprinkle the Parmesan cheese over the breadcrumbs. Bake the cherry tomatoes and the Mac and Cheese in the oven (on broiler) for 8 minutes. For the Salad: Just add the tomatoes to the Salad. Then top it off with some shaved Parmesan cheese and fresh ground pepper. For Dressing, you can use vinegar and olive oil.... My husband made a nice plum pesto dressing this time!






Thank god I had a handy helper yesterday. It made making Mac and Cheese really fun and quick. At the end of dinner we were satisfying stuffed. There was plenty of leftovers. The Mac and Cheese recipe that inspired me today was from America’s Test Kitchen. Props to them. It is always a great time to have company over and cook. I love it! Yes, I did fail at my £10 challenge, but the salad and mac and cheese were great... and having a great time with great food is simply Priceless.

IPhone....

Today I went to get a new phone, since my "pay-as-you-go" mobile didn’t work so well at the apartment. I never was into getting the most updated phone on the market. I mean when I was younger, I always had the most up-to-date phones, but as I got older I didn’t care as much. So you can imagine what an experience it was from me to be upgrading from a regular cell phone (The last phone I bought was well before the hype of Smart phones). We went to the O2, which a well-known phone provider in London. Immediately I went straight to the IPhone section. Everyone who has this phone keeps raving about it. They keep telling me “ iPhones are so much better than the blackberry”. In my opinion I really like the Motorola Droid phone they have back in the states. My brother owns one, and I’m not going to lie, it’s a pretty cool phone. In the UK, they don’t have the Droid/Milestone so... IPhone it is. Let me tell you this... IT IS UNBELIEVABLE. I mean is it even a phone? I feel like it’s my own personal computer. Or should I say my own entertainment center. I can use it as a phone, play games, listen to music and watch movies. It’s very handy. Who even needs a personal assistant anymore?!?! I’m sure there is an “app” to that. So, I went home feeling pretty good about my choice. Only problem, I got no service once I stepped in the door. Great. The whole purpose was to get a phone that worked in our apartment. Oh well. It has spotty service but I don’t blame the IPhone. I balme the fact that we live in a ground level flat! Its all good, moving to a nice new place in August so I will have to manage! Overall I’m happy with my purchase. No wonder why it seems everyone I see is always on their IPhone. It’s just so entertaining.

Well, enough about the IPhone. I was debating all day on what to cook for dinner and finally made a decision. I guess that decision has to wait til tomorrow because after I got the IPhone, Will wanted to eat out and go to Fine Burger Company. The restaurant we ate out is one of our favorite burger joint in London. I mean it’s not like burgers in the states, but it’s a organic and healthy choice for the body. Everything on their menu is fresh and free of additives, preservatives, colourings and GM nasties. My husband and I tend to eat healthy, so we don’t feel guilty having a burger in this joint. Speaking of meat… Has anyone read this article? http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20100517/hl_nm/us_heart_meat

Sorry for no recipe tonight. But tomorrow’s challenge is in place and ready to be created. It’s a home comfort food that I’m sure everyone will enjoy.

Add a little Spice to it!

It definitely was a challenge to decide what I wanted to make for dinner. We have been eating way too much meat lately and Will has a footy match tonight. We wouldn't want him to have his belly cramped up while he's playing footy. So I needed something light but filling to make for dinner. Normally I go with a chicken dish, but we had chicken the night before. After going back and forth, I finally decided to create this...

Recipe of the day: Spicy Caribbean Shrimp Stir Fry with White Rice

Ingredients/Grocery List: Total Spent: £8.97

2 - 180 Gram of Jumbo King Prawns ( I love how they call it "jumbo" in the UK because the shrimps were certainly not jumbo! At best they were medium-large) – feel free to use already large – x-large prawns cooked or raw. £ 4.00 (got it on sale £2.00 a package!)
1 Medium Onion £0.15
1 Yellow Pepper £0.87
1 Sweet Red Pepper £0.79
2 432g Can of Pineapple Cubes £1.14
2 – Large Beef Tomatoes £1.24
White rice (we use 2 package of boil in a bag rice, we love rice!) £0.78 for a box of 4
3 clove of garlic (had it already)
Dash of ground pepper (had it already)
Dash of cayenne pepper (had it already)
Dash of crushed chili/chili flakes (had it already)
2 Tablespoon of Veg. Oil (had it already)
2 Tablespoon of Thai Sweet Chili Sauce (had it already)

First, cook the white rice. Since this is a quick and easy meal, you want to cook the rice first because normally rice takes longer to cook. Use a Wok or a large Skillet. Place Wok on Medium Heat. Start by placing 1-2 tablespoon of Veg. Oil. Then add the onions until it starts browning. (2-3 Minutes) Take the chopped Yellow peppers and Red sweet pepper and mix it with the onion. Cook for about 3-5 minutes. Remove and place aside. Next, drain the pineapple juices from the cans. Place the wok on medium heat and add a drop of veg. oil and place the pineapple cubes in. Cook for about 2 minutes or until they are browned. Remove and place aside. Place about 1-2 tablespoon of Veg. Oil to the wok on Medium heat. Add the minced garlic, after a minute, place the shrimp. If you use raw shrimp, cook them until they are nice and pink. If you are using already cooked shrimp, cook for about 2 minutes. Add two tablespoon of Thai sweet chili sauce. Then sprinkle a dash of ground pepper, cayenne pepper, and crushed chili flakes. (if you like it more spicy then add another dash of the chili pepper flakes) Cook for about a minute. Then add the chopped tomatoes, the onion and pepper mix and the pineapple. Cook for another 3 minutes. Dinner is done, less then 30 minutes!

I love this dish. It was quick and easy. I love the Caribbean taste with just enough touch of spice. This recipe made probably enough to feed 3-4 people. Will took the leftovers for lunch. I hope you all enjoy this one, because I know WE did!

Mushroom Risotto with Lemon Garlic Chicken and Ceaser Salad

Today was a surprisingly sunny day in London town. It started out gray and gloomy and then by 1:00pm the sun started to shine. I got out of the apartment as soon as possible and soaked up the sunny day. It was absolutely a wonderful day.

I went to yoga class today. It was fantastic. It was a combination of yoga, tai chi and pilates. Man... everyone was right, yoga really relaxes the mind, body and soul. I think I am going to go more often. Since, today was the first day I worked out since I came to London, I decide to cut myself some slack in the kitchen and brought some package cooking. Hey, we all do it once a while. :) Plus, I did cook my own chicken at least.

Recipe of the Day is Mushroom risotto with Lemon and Garlic Chicken and Caesar Salad.

Ingredients/ Grocery List: Total Spent: £5.63

2 Fillet of Boneless Chicken Breast £2.00 (5 for 5!)
1 Package of Mushroom Risotto £1.04
1 Package of Caesar Salad £1.99
2 Lemons £.60
2 Tablespoon of Olive Oil
Dash of Oregano (have it already)
Dash of Italian Seasoning ( have it already)
Dash of ground pepper (have it already)
3 Cloves of Garlic (have it already)
1-2 Tablespoon of butter(have it already)

First Marinate the Chicken about 2-3 hours before cooking. Wash and cut away any remaining fat from the chicken breasts. Tenderize the Chicken. Place in a small bowl and add 2 tablespoon of olive oil. Make sure it rubbed all over. Then dash the chicken with Oregano, Italian Seasoning and Ground Pepper on both sides. Mince the garlic and massage it in to the chicken. Take one lemon (make sure it’s juicy) and squeeze the juices out. Cover the bowl with foil and refrigerate. Make the mushroom risotto. (instructions on the package) Lastly, make the Caesar Salad. This package came w/ chopped romaine lettuce, croutons, shaved parmesan and caesar dressing. (one day I’m going to make my own caesar dressing…I guess that’s a challenge for another day, just not today :) ) Place 2 tablespoon of butter into a skillet. Cook the chicken breast in the skillet on medium heat for about 15 minutes, until it has a nice blackened touch to it. Once the natural juices from the chicken have cooked in and the pan looks dry, squeeze the juice of one lemon all over the chicken and... dinner is served!



It was a good and quick meal to cook especially when you don’t have much time. Fresh packaged food makes life ten times easier. When you don’t have much time, mixing your own cooking in combination with packaged food is the way to go. It okay to cheat once in a while. We all can’t be Martha Stewart…..

May 16, 2010

I truly have a wonderful husband. He is just so thoughtful in every way. I woke up on my birthday with flowers on the table and a wonderful breakfast that he cooked. I opened more presents from friends and family and one of his. He got me a spa day! I had to get ready for my 2:15pm appointment at a little place on Camden Passage around the corner from where we live named Kimantra. Boy did I need this more than ever! I didn’t get a chance to get a massage before or after the wedding, so this massage was much needed. It was fantastic. In my opinion, I think everyone should take the time to go and get a massage at least once every other month. It does wonders. After the massage, I received some nice leather strapy sandals that I wanted. Then he told me where we were going to dinner. A steakhouse…but not just any steakhouse…the Hawksmoor. Zagat rated it, “The best steakhouse in London”. By then, I really did feel like a princess. We had a delicious meal. And at the end of dinner he gave me yet another envelope. “What? More presents?” I opened the envelope to find he'd planned a nice weekend getaway in Brighton (a beach area in the UK). We went to Brighton last year and it was really fun. It reminds me of the jersey shore, but much nicer and more hip. I can’t wait for next weekend and I hope that the weather is nice and warm. Yesterday was really an awesome day and it’s all thanks to my lovely husband.

So it’s Sunday…. I love cooking dinner on a Sunday. It is the only day when cooking is relaxing and the time is not quite so pressured as it is during the week. Plus, Will helps me in the kitchen. It really is a great time to bond and spend time with your significant other. We weren’t always like this. I remember in the beginning of our relationship, we would get so annoyed at each other when we would cook. Now we work together and it’s a fun activity for us to do. I’m so happy we mastered that. Well, I think you're all wondering what the challenge for today is. Since, we both had so much meat in the last two days, we’re going to be cooking a healthy light dinner. (And plus my stomach is not doing too good lately...)

Recipe of the day is “Sue-don” Noodle Soup

Ingredients/Grocery List: Spent a total of £5.56 (the cheapest I spent so far)

1 Package of Udon Noodle £1.25
1 Package of Pak Choy or Bok Choy(comes with two bunch) £1.00 (got it on sale!)
2 springs of Spring Onion (Scallions for the States) £0.64
1 Package of Shiitake Mushrooms £1.69
3 Chicken Stock Cubes (comes in 12 cubes) £0.98
1 Tablespoon of sesame oil
5 small amount of fresh Ginger (had it from last week)
2 tablespoon of Soy Sauce (had it already)

Boil about 2 Pints of Water. When the water boils, crumble the chicken stock cubes. (you can also just use chicken broth if in the States …in London they don’t seem to have that, they just have the cubes) Slice the shiitake mushrooms and place them in the boiled stock /broth and lower the heat to low. Boil for about 20 minutes. Then add the chopped Pak /Bok Choy and cook for 5 minutes. Add 1 tablespoon of sesame oil. Add the Udon Noodles and cook for about 5 minutes. Add 2 tablespoon of Soy Sauce. Then throw in the chopped spring onion last. Cook it all for 1 minute.

This recipe was extremely quick. It was a perfect dinner for tonight. I suggest making this if you are not feeling well or want something light. This recipe is good for the soul and truly nice meal to end the weekend.

It's my Birthday!

Today I turn 26. It's the first birthday EVER that I am celebrating away from home, but I did receive cards and presents in the mail. That made me extremely happy. With facebook and all those social networks out there, getting Happy Birthday wishes on the internet is great but getting an actual card in the mail is even better. Anyways, I went out to dinner yesterday and met some really nice people. They are a friends of Will's. We went to a BBQ restaurant called Bodean's around the Tower Hill area. It was pretty a decent BBQ restaurant considering it's in London. They have this £10 special plate that includes ribs, pulled pork, fries, coleslaw and a small pint of beer! I literally ate it all up. Man, I am going to miss the hot summer and random BBQ nights with the family and friends. But, last night was fun and they made me feel like I truely was a "Londoner".

As for today, I have no idea how I am celebrating my birthday. I just woke up and my husband left to get "something". He's the best. He always has these great surprises for me on my birthday. I'm going to enjoy every minute of these surprises because who knows how long he's going to keep up with this.

Well, I guess I'm getting older, wiser or whatever the saying is. There's nothing special about being 26. Is it weird that I actually feel like my age this year? Every birthday, I'm always like, "wow" I feel younger then I really am. Today, I really do feel 26. I think being married definitely plays a huge part.... Cheers to being in the high twenty club!

May 13, 2010

Today I was as bored as ever. So, I decided to meet my husband for lunch in the City. We decided to do sushi. We went to a new sushi chain called Itsu. London is covered with food chains. It seems like every place is part of a family of food establishments (I hesitate to say restaurants since they are more designed for takeaway). But you know what? London chains are actually not bad at all. Unlike, the Go Sushi Chain in the States, the sushi is actually fresh and of a very good quality . In fact many of the "fast food" here is relatively healthy. Another favorite food chain of mine in London is POD. It’s a healthy alternative to fast food with lots of rice and chicken themed dishes as well as a focus on recycling and green living which is nice to see. After lunch on my double-decker bus ride home, I started to think of my challenge and this is what I came up with…

Recipe of the Day: Roasted Eggplant and Tomato with Linguine and Caprese Salad

Ingredients/Grocery List: Spent only £7.49 (I’m on a roll!)

1 medium size Aubergine (Eggplant for you Yanks out there) (cut ½ inch cubes) £1.18
1 small Onion (chopped) £0.15
1 packet of fresh basil £0.79
½ packet of linguine £1.49
6-7 tomato on the vine (diced) 2 packet of 5 tomato is £3
4 cloves of garlic (minced) (had them already)
1 packet of fresh mozzarella £0.85
Fresh Ground Pepper (had already)
Olive Oil (had already)
Sea Salt (had already)
Dash of Salt for sauce (had already)
2 tablespoon of cooking red wine (had already)
2 tablespoon of light pesto (had already)

Prepare the Caprese salad first (get it out of the way)– Sliced tomato put it on a plate. Then sliced mozzarella and put on top of the tomato. Then put fresh basil on top of each mozzarella and tomato. Place 1 tablespoon of olive oil all over and 1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar all over. Add fresh ground pepper and sea salt to your desire. (place it in the fridge until ready to serve)
Preheat the oven 200 C. Cut the eggplant in ½ inch cubes. Throw them in a ziplock bag and add 1-2 tablespoon of olive oil and a couple dashes of pepper and salt. Zip and Shake. I feel like I am on those old "Shake & Bake" commercials. "Look Ma I helped!" Place the eggplants on a baking sheet. Put it in the oven for 25 minutes. Boil the linguine (instructions on the packet). Heat on medium temperature in a large skillet with 2 tablespoon of olive oil and add the chopped onions. Then add minced garlic and cook for an additional minute. Add red wine in one more minute. Add diced tomatoes and roasted eggplant. Mix it all together and cook for 4 minutes. Lastly add the chopped basil and a dash of salt. Cook for 2 minutes and lower the temperature to Low heat. Drain pasta with just a little water in the pot. Add the pesto and mix it. Then add the linguine w/ the pesto to the skillet. Mix it all together for 2 minutes and...

The challenge is completed! My husband loved it and is satisfied….he’s napping right now as I am posting this blog. :) There is no challenge tomorrow. I have to make new friends (husband friends he made before I got here) and have dinner at a BBQ place. Should be interesting….BBQ and London……

May 12, 2010

Recipe of the Day : Baked Scottish Salmon w/ Garlic Spinach and Coriander and Lemon Cous Cous

Ingredients/Grocery List: Total spent today: £6.15 – I did good!

1 Packet of Coriander and Lemon Cous Cous £.55
1 Packet of Spinach £1.00
2 Lemons - £.60
2 Fresh Scottish Salmon Fillet 160G £4.00(2 for 4 deal!)
2 small tomato on vine (had it already)
2 tablespoon of Capers (had it already)
1 Spring of Rosemary (had it already from last week)
2 cloves of garlic (had it already from the portabella mushroom recipe)
Olive oil (had it already)
Fresh Ground Pepper
Fresh Sea Salt

Get a deep baking dish. Wrap with tin foil (I always do this... saves time with the clean up!). Add 2 tablespoon of olive oil to the bottom of the pan. Place the salmon fillet in the pan then brush a generous amount of olive oil on the top. Dash it with fresh ground pepper and sea salt. Mince the rosemary and sprinkle about 2 teaspoon of the freshly cut rosemary for each salmon fillet. This will really bring out the natural flavors. Then cut the lemon in half. Squeeze the juice from a half lemon over each fillet. Thinly slice the tomatoes and place the slices on top of the fillets. Then add 1 tablespoon of capers to each fillet. Preheat the oven for 200 C and place the dish in for 30 minutes. Start washing the spinach and slice the two garlic cloves. Add about 1-2 tablespoon of olive oil into a skillet and throw in the garlic. After heating up, toss in the spinach. This should only take about 5 minutes to cook. For the cous cous, follow the instructions on the packet... keep it simple.

This dinner was definitely a cheap, quick and delicious meal. My husband really enjoyed it. It was light, but filling. I guess that means that there’s room for dessert??? :) Challenge succeed.

May 11, 2010

So... I skipped my challenge today. Yeah, I know it’s only 2 days in. Well, let me tell you this: I’m normal. I’m just getting use to this cooking and being this stay at home wife thing and sometimes you just can't be home to cook! Anyways... my husband had a “footy” (that’s what they call soccer here in London) match indoors in a place by Old Street. I decided I'd be supportive and watch his last game of the season. Afterwards, we went to our favorite Vietnamese Restaurant: Cay Tre on Old Street in East London. Look it up if you are in the area. Fantastic dishes. To get a bit off the topic, I remember I use to pronounce Vietnamese like VietManese. It took 23 years until someone corrected me. I believe it was at my first job in New York City right after colleage asked me what I wanted for lunch. Since then I made a conscious effort or at least try to say it right…Viet-Namese. Like I said in my description "I speak my own language". Anyways, the restaurant we ate at tonight is my favorite Vietnamese restaurant. I highly recommend it and if you like bun (a traditional Vietnamese dish), I would suggest that you order the Bun Sa with beef. For £7, you can't beat the taste. So good! I'm ready,refreshed and can’t wait for tomorrow’s challenge.

The £10 Challenge

My husband’s job got relocated to London. Great. It’s one of the most expensive cities in the world. Thank god I’m coming from New York City so I’m pretty use to the ridiculous prices. Since recently joining him in London, I find myself with no job, no friends and far away from my family. Being a stay at home wife is not a glamorous life if your husband isn’t a member of the "rich or famous". Life can get pretty boring really quickly. So, I've decided to challenge myself. The goal is to spend £10 or less a day on groceries and create unique, gourmet meals for two.

Day 1 – May 10, 2010

On the Menu for Today is Roasted Portabella Mushroom Salad and Whole Wheat Baguette

Ingredients: Grocery List – Spent only £8.50

1 Packet of Rocket Salad – £1.50
3 Large Portabella Mushrooms – £1.69
1 Small Red Onion - £0.16
3 cloves of garlic – £0.25
1 packet of Shaved Parmigiano Reggiano – £2.23 (snagged it on sale!)
1 can of Chick Peas in water– £0.61
1 Yellow Pepper – £0.87
Whole Wheat Granary Baguette – £1.19
Balsamic Vinegar – Already had
Olive Oil – Already Had
Soy Sauce – Already Had
Lemon – Already Have

Recipe

Place the Portabella Mushrooms in a deep baking dish covered with foil. Marinate the Portabella Mushroom with Balsamic Vinegar, Soy Sauce and very fine minced Garlic. I don't really measure. Sorry folks! So I poured roughly about a ½ tablespoon of Balsamic Vinegar first on to the underside of each Mushroom (remember to take out the steams). Then I flipped them over and poured about 1 tablespoon of Balsamic Vinegar on the tops. After that, I splashed 1 teaspoon of Soy Sauce with a teaspoon of minced garlic to each Mushroom, as well. Place a teaspoon of olive oil on the top of each mushroom for good measure. Add a dash of fresh grounded pepper and sea salt to give it a bit of flavor. While the Mushies marinate, I preheated the over at 200 C. While the oven was preheating I washed the packet of rocket salad. Then finely chopped the small red onion and French cut the yellow pepper. Once the oven was finished preheating, all I had to do was place the mushrooms in the oven for 25 minutes. Then flipped it over for 10 more minutes. My little kitchen was starting to smell fantastic! While the mushrooms were still in the oven, I boiled the chickpeas for 4 minutes, drained them and cooled it down while the portabella perfected themselves. Now it was time to put all the ingredients together. Sliced the Mushrooms and placed them on top. Put a generous amount of shaved parmigiano reggiano throughout the salad. The dressing consisted of – 4 tablespoon of Balsamic Vinegar, a dulop of olive oil, juice of half a lemon, and spoonful of jam (plum)... My husband's touch of creativity. Serve it with bread and butter and there you go!

After finishing my daily challenge, i was left with a very healthy, delicious salad. It’s definitely a recipe that I will have to make for another evening.